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| For many, the holiday season is a time of joy, togetherness, and reflection. However, families dealing with the harsh reality of pediatric cancers face exceptional challenges during this time. Instead of partaking in joyous traditions, they find themselves navigating a cancer diagnosis while seeking support and optimal treatment options or, worse, grieving a child lost to the disease.
At CAC2, we are proud of our collaborative network of 500+ members who hail from 41 states and nine countries. We are all committed to ending childhood cancer and, thus, ensuring that every child has a future filled with joyous holidays and cherished family memories. Your support plays a vital role in our ability to advance a variety of pediatric cancer causes by unifying our collective efforts. This holiday season, we thank you for giving the gift of hope and support to families with children managing this terrible disease. Whatever, Whenever, and However You Choose to Celebrate,Blessings to One and ALL This Holiday Season!
In the spirit of the holidays, the staff at the CAC2 News Digest will take the next two Mondays off and return with a triple issue on January 8! |
Assorted News from the Last Week:
On December 13, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved eflornithine (formerly DFMO, now branded as IWILFIN) to reduce the risk of relapse in adult and pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (HRNB) who have demonstrated at least a partial response to prior multiagent, multimodality therapy including anti-GD2 immunotherapy.
With more and more young people receiving cancer diagnoses, the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research U.K. have made finding out why a top priority (gated).
A CAC2 blog post: Recognizing the importance of mental health support becomes paramount to helping families cope, heal, and find hope in the face of childhood cancer.
The development of CAR T-cell products in broad versus small patient populations does not necessarily have to follow identical paths. To allow the clinical development of a larger variety of cell products for rare indications, in adults and children with no or low commercial interest, an innovative regulatory approach is needed.
When you’re grieving the loss of your child, holidays are tough. Instead of bringing joy and good tidings, the holiday season can increase feelings of sadness and loss, a blog post by CAC2 Member Katie Holcomb (Ryan’s Case for Smiles).
Upcoming Webinars, Online Opportunities, and Meetings:
Free webinar hosted by NCI: “Navigating St. Jude’s PeCan v2 & Survivorship Data Sharing Tools” on January 23 at 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET. Register here.
ACCELERATE Annual Conference 2024 on February 8 & 9 in Brussels). Learn about the most recent successes in paediatric oncology drug development worldwide, the latest regulatory updates in Europe and North America and more. For information and to register.
Austin Hatcher Foundation Bubbles of Fun 5K, 10K, and 1-Mile Fun Run, February 10 at Tennessee Riverpark. For information and to register.
Alliance for Childhood Cancer has announce that Action Days 2024 will take place in Washington, DC from February 13-14, 2024. Registration will open in mid-December. Click for information.
FDA’s Rare Disease Day will be on Friday, March 1, 2024, and registration is open for this virtual event. This year’s Rare Disease Day is dedicated to patients and health care professionals.
Recent Recordings:
Dr. Lars Wagner from Duke University talks with Cancer Help Desk about a new game changing medicine for children and young adults currently taking Irinotecan for recurrent solid tumors.
Take Action:
CAC2 Member Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation recently announced Thrive, a new mental wellness initiative that aims to support the emotional well-being of childhood cancer survivors, siblings, and parents. Learn more and take advantage.
Triage Cancer launched Triage Health, a program that provides free education on the legal and practical issues related to navigating a chronic or serious medical condition. Learn more.
Wanted: 100 cosponsors for the Give Kids a Chance Act (S 2897, HR 3433) before Christmas! Kids v Cancer is seeking pediatric cancer organizations to host zooms for their kids (ages elementary school to young adult) to talk to Congressional offices. Make this your holiday event, or sign up as an individual kid! We will provide training and zooms. No experience necessary. Please contact: . See also: https://www.givekidsachanceact.org/be-the-voice-of-childhood-cancer.
Funding Opportunity: Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy Network (Can-ACT) for Pediatric Cancers (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)–The overall goal of the NOFO is to advance new cell therapy strategies into clinical testing for the treatment of solid tumors in pediatric cancer patients. The successful applications will add to the newly established Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy (Can-ACT) Network, dedicated to developing innovative cell therapy approaches for the treatment of solid tumors in pediatric and adult tumors. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-24-021.html